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Nursing Shortage Statistics

Posted on: January 19th, 2016 by Liz Sheffield

High Employment Demand for Nurses

According to the American Nurses Association, by 2022, there will be a need for 3.44 million nurses. That’s a 20.2 percent increase in RNs, with the demand for an additional 1.13 million nurses by 2022. What does that mean for your organization?

Increasing Healthcare Needs Promote Job Growth

The increasing healthcare needs of this aging “Baby Boomer” population are contributing to the growth rate for nursing jobs. Knowing how to handle this in your organization can put you at the forefront of the curve, but only if you can keep the talent you bring in.

Nurse Hiring Trends Indicate High Vacancy Rate

While management in every industry wants to avoid unwanted turnover, job vacancy issues in the healthcare industry are more than an inconvenience—they can be a life and death matter. Understanding the severity of having unfilled positions can help you put forth the right efforts to knowing why nurses may leave and how to change that in your organization.

Nursing Shortage Impacting Quality of Patient Care

The nursing shortage becomes an even more serious issue when considering how it impacts patient care. Evidence suggests that some in-hospital or discharge deaths could be prevented with improved nurse-to-patient ratios. Improve yours today.

Nurses Retiring with Long Tenure

The majority of today’s nurses are rapidly approaching retirement. The rate of RN retirement combined with other factors, such as difficulty retaining recent nurse graduates and a reduced capacity in nurse training programs, makes it increasingly difficult to meet the demand for RNs.

New Nurses Leaving

Nurses frequently change jobs—13 percent of newly licensed RNs changed jobs after one year, and 37 percent reported that they felt ready to change jobs in the first year. New hire check ins and onboarding best practices can help you avoid early turnover.

Increased Demand for Nurses With Bachelor’s Degrees

Adding to the shortage of nurses is the recommendation and requirement for more nurses with baccalaureate degrees. Positive patient outcomes, including lower mortality rates and fewer errors with medications, are linked to nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels. In the eBook we’ll dive into the numbers behind that to help you determine how it may be impacting your organization.

Nursing School Capacity Issues

In 2012, nearly 80,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing baccalaureate and graduate programs. This number impacts not only your workforce but the lives of your patients. Be prepared for how nursing school capacities can affect your staffing levels and patient care.

Costs Of Nursing Turnover

Many nurses indicate that they become frustrated, disengaged, and even consider leaving the organization if they don’t receive professional development or opportunities for promotion. If and when they leave, this costs your organization a LOT of money. The exact numbers are daunting, so knowing how to avoid that turnover is extremely important.

Nurses Concerned With On-the-Job Injuries

Government figures show that from 2011-2013, nursing ranked fifth of all occupations in the number of work-related musculoskeletal injuries. These on-the-job risks take a toll not only on job satisfaction but also negatively impact staffing levels and labor budgets due to sick leave and absenteeism.
At the end of the day, nursing shortages and high turnover cause a number of significant issues for healthcare organizations all over the country. Understanding what those numbers are and what are the factors causing these numbers are important keys to figuring out how to avoid turnover in your own organization. Download the full Nursing Shortage Statistics ebook to get a more clear picture of what’s going on in the nursing world and what the future may hold.